Day 14 - Farmington to Mesa Verde National Park
We must have been worn out from yesterday because today was more about finding some fun roads to drive on. Our drive today will be the San Juan Skyway Scenic Drive. All we had to do was sit back and take in the spectacular scenery. Highways were west on US 64, north on State NM 170/CO 140, east on County 141, and east on US 160 into Durango.
After a detour to the Durango Silverton Railroad Museum and Stitch Quilt and Sewing Boutique, we continued north on US 550 to Ridgway. We then turned west on State 62, south on Last Dollar Road No. 638, south on State 145 to Cortez, east on US 160, and finally south on Mesa Top Ruins Road into Mesa Verde National Park. When all was said and done, we were about 70 miles from where we started by the end of the day. Google Map
Durango, Colorado
Durango was incorporated April 27, 1881 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad as part of their efforts to service the San Juan mining district. The city was named after Durango, Mexico.
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| Main Avenue Historic District 1980 (NRHP) |
The Main Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 7, 1980 as #80000907. It's historical value consists of galleries, boutiques, restaurants, bars, and historic hotels.
Durango & Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad
The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a 3 foot narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 miles of track between Durango and Silverton. The route originally opened July 10, 1882 as an extension of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad line from Antonito to Durango to transport silver and gold ore mined from the San Juan Mountains.
The line from Durango to Silverton has run continuously since then, although it is now a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers, and is one of the few places in the U.S. which has seen continuous use of steam locomotives.
Durango & Silverton Railroad Museum
The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum opened in 1998. It is a tribute to railroading nationally and southwest Colorado. The museum is located in the Durango roundhouse. Half the roundhouse is used for the steam engines and the other half is for the museum.
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| Durango Station (Library of Congress) |
The museum features memorabilia from the Durango and Silverton and other railroads. Informational and educational films are featured in the movie coach that was used in the filming of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Stitch - Durango, Colorado
We haven't stopped at many quilt shops on this trip so we took the time to visit this quilt shop just up the street from the Durango & Silverton Museum. This shop specializes in unusual, bold and bright fabrics. It was easy to wander through the shop just letting ourselves get inspired. I bought a Sunshine Soul Panel. We didn't spend too much time in the shop. With our treasures safely tucked in the back of the car, we headed to US 550 north out of town.
San Juan Skyway Scenic Skyway
The San Juan Skyway is a 233 mile loop traversing the heart of the San Juan Mountains. It roughly parallels the routes of the narrow gauge railways and highway (counterclockwise) US 550 to Ridgway, State 62 to Placerville, State 145 to Cortez and US 160 to Durango. It crosses the San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests, spanning elevations from 6,200 feet near Cortez to 11,008 on Red Mountain Pass.
The San Juan Skyway was designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway in September 1988. It was later named a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway in 1989 and an All-American Road in September 1996.
Interesting to note on the map the small piece of US 491 north west from Cortez is showing as US 666. US 666 officially ceased to exist on May 31, 2003. US 666 was renumbered to US 491.
US Highway 550 - Durango to Silverton
Most of U.S. 550 in Colorado is two-lane mountainous highway. It is one of only two north–south U.S. Highways in Colorado which runs west of the Continental Divide. (The other route is US 491.) The route travels north through the San Juan Mountains. It is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway. Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
US 550 climbs steadily crossing over Coal Bank Pass (summit 10,660 feet), and Molas Pass (summit 10,910 feet) providing beautiful views of the surrounding San Juan Mountains before descending into Silverton. Hwy 550 - Wikipedia
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| Pinkerton Hot Springs (Google Capture) |
Pinkerton Hot Springs - Hwy 550
The Pinkerton Hot Springs was discovered by James Pinkerton in the 1800s, who decided to transform this mysterious gem into a travel destination.
People almost immediately began to flock to this spot, as this was a time when many believed that hot springs were a miracle cure and their waters possessed healing powers. Pinkerton built a resort here, complete with a swimming pool filled with water from the springs.
Bakers Bridge - Hwy 550
Captain Charles H. Baker, who discovered gold in the San Juan in 1860, led a party of prospectors to this area in 1861. They placer mined on El Rio de las Animas, built the first bridge (300 feet north). When no profitable mines were found, the area was abandoned for a decade. Baker joined the Confederate forces during the Civil War. Later he returned to the San Juan where he was killed by Indians. Legend has it that Charles' cache of gold is buried somewhere in the hills around Baker's Bridge.
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| Jump Scene - Bakers Bridge |
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Bakers Bridge
Bakers Bridge is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid escaped from the approaching posse. They made the leap to freedom from a granite ledge into the Animas Gorge.
Newman and Redford started the jump in Colorado, to land on a hidden mattress only a few feet below. The leap was completed by stuntmen at the studio's Century Ranch near Malibu, California. View the Jump Scene
Silverton - Hwy 550
Silverton is located in a remote part of the western San Juan Mountains. Nestled in a flat area of the Animas River at an elevation of 9,318 feet, Silverton is surrounded by several "thirteeners" and within 15 miles from seven "fourteeners". It is one of the highest towns in the United States.
The first mining claims were made in mountains above the Silverton in 1860. Silverton was established shortly after the Utes ceded the region in the 1873 Brunot Agreement, and the town boomed from silver mining until the Panic of 1893 led to a collapse of the silver market. It boomed again from gold mining until the recession caused by the Panic of 1907.
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| Imperial Hotel Green Street (NPS) |
Silverton Historic District
Unlike many other mining towns, Silverton never experienced a major fire, and most of the buildings are still standing. Silverton is part of the San Juan Skyway.
The Million Dollar Highway connects Silverton to Ouray), home to Animas Forks and the Alpine Loop, and the summer destination for the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad .
Silverton Disasters
Silverton has had it's share of disasters from mine collapse, avalanches and a horrible environment catastrophe when a plug broke and mine waste water and tailings flowed into a tributary of the Animas River.
The disaster that caught my attention though was the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. The Spanish Flu arrived in Silverton in October 1918 and before it was finished 10% of the population had died giving Silverton the dubious honor of having the highest mortality rate from the Spanish Flu in the entire nation.
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| The City Hall (San Juan County Historical Society) |
The City Hall was turned into a hospital by the local Red Cross. Martial law was declared and citizens were ordered to stay in their homes. Trains were banned and men from the high-country mines were not allowed to come into town.
Highway 550 - Million Dollar Highway - Silverton to Ouray
Though the entire stretch of Highway 550 has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the stretch between Silverton and Ouray over Red Mountain Pass and through the Uncompahgre Gorge that gives the highway its name. The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about 25 miles and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray. It is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway.
Travel north from Silverton to Ouray allows drivers to hug the inside of curves. Travel south from Ouray to Silverton through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive. It is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails.
The ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains.
The first autos reached Red Mountain Pass from Ouray in 1911. After Congress passed the Federal-Aid Road Act in 1916, the wagon road from Ouray to Red Mountain Pass was upgraded and rerouted in 1921-24. It was widened to two lanes and paved in the 1950s.
The origin of the name Million Dollar Highway is disputed. Some say the highway cost a million dollars a mile to build. Others say that it's fill contains millions of dollars in gold ore. Maybe it is just the amazing million dollar view of San Juan Mountain views.
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| Red Mountain Number 3 (Wikipedia) |
Red Mountain - Hwy 550
Red Mountain is a set of three peaks about 5 miles south of Ouray. The mountains get their name from the reddish iron ore rocks that cover the surface.
Several other peaks in the San Juan Mountains likewise have prominent reddish coloration from iron ore and are also called "Red Mountain". Nearby Red Mountain Pass is named after Red Mountain, and the ghost town mining camp of Red Mountain Town is located around Red Mountain.
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| Red Mountain Pass (Wikipedia) |
Red Mountain Pass- Hwy 550
Red Mountain Pass, with a summit of 11,075 feet, divides Ouray and San Juan counties, the Uncompahgre and Las Animas River watersheds, and the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests.
It has steep 8% grades and switchbacks on the north side facing Ouray. It is winding, narrow and has no shoulder. Avalanches are frequent in winter. The lower part near Ouray is blasted into near-vertical cliffs of quartzite hundreds of feet above Red Mountain Creek and the Uncompahgre River.
Red Mountain Mining District - Hwy 550
The Red Mountain Mining District was the site of a historic silver boom from 1882 until 1893. The the old workings are still visible from the highway, as are the remains of the three largest communities: Red Mountain Town, Ironton, and Guston.
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| Idarado Mine Trestle (Wikipedia) |
Idarado Mine
The Idarado Mine was a mining operation near the now-ghost town of Guston, producing primarily lead, silver and zinc along with lesser amounts of gold and copper. Idarado Mine - Wikipedia
Ouray Colorado - Hwy 550
The City of Ouray, named after Chief Ouray, was incorporated on October 2, 1876. Because of it's natural alpine environment and scenery, Ouray has earned the nickname "Switzerland of America".
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| Beaumont Hotel c1890 (Wikipedia) |
Originally established by prospectors seeking silver and gold in the surrounding mountains, Ouray at one time boasted more horses and mules than people. At the height of the mining, it had more than 30 active mines.
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| Chief Ouray c1874 (Wikipedia) |
Chief Ouray (1833 – August 24, 1880)
Chief Ouray was a Chief of the Tabeguache (Uncompahgre) band of the Ute tribe. His father was a Jicarilla Apache adopted into the Ute, and his mother was Uncompahgre Ute.
Raised in the culturally diverse town of Taos, Ouray learned to speak many languages that helped him in the negotiations. Ouray was known as the "white man's friend," and his services were almost indispensable to the government in negotiating with his tribe.
Ouray met with Presidents Lincoln, Grant, and Hayes and was called the man of peace because he sought to make treaties with settlers and the government.
Ouray's obituary in The Denver Tribune stated "In the death of Ouray, one of the historical characters passes away. He has figured for many years as the greatest Indian of his time, and during his life has figured quite prominently. Ouray is in many respects...a remarkable Indian...pure instincts and keen perception. A friend to the white man and protector to the Indians alike."
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| Bachelor Syracuse Mine |
Bachelor Syracuse Mine
The Bachelor mine was claimed in the early 1890s by three bachelors, Charlie Armstrong, Frank Sanders, and George Hurlburt. For 100 years, the Bachelor Mine on Gold Hill was one of Ouray's strongest and most reliable producers.
So rich was its ore that its three owners made huge profits even after the disastrous silver crash of 1893. Ore rolled down Red Canyon by the ton to the railroad siding below, which became known as the Bachelor Switch. In the 1920's, the Syracuse Tunnel was driven to access the Bachelor's old workings from below.
A town named ASH (from the first letter os Armstrong, Sanders and Hurlburt) of about 200 sprang up at the mine's main portal. The town sported a mill, school, post office and brass band. The town's remains still straddle Red Canyon Creek, now known as Dexter Creek.
Bachelor Syracuse Mine Tour - Ouray, Colorado
For years Karen has been trying to get me to go on a mine tour. I just can't do it. I've always offered to wait for her while she takes a tour but she has never done it. Today, she will. So donning a bright yellow hard hat, Karen flung herself 1500 feet below ground into Gold Hill to follow in the footsteps of miners of long ago - all while I relaxed warm and dry above ground in the shade of a huge tree reading my book.
Gold Panning - Bachelor Syracuse Mine
Once Karen's mine tour was over, we picked up our gold pans to learn how to pan for gold in the same stream as the original miners. After a half hour crouched over sifting sand, pebbles and other suspicious looking particles, we decided this was definitely not a get rich quick project. We un-kinked our backs and headed to the gift shop where Karen bought some gold particles in a jar and I bought the book Tales of the Bachelor Mine by Jane Bennett. I may not have taken the tour, but at least I'll be informed.
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| Wilson Peak |
Hwy 62 Colorado
We continued north on US 550 to Ridgway, then headed west on State Highway 62 for 12 miles. Just past the scenic overlook on Highway 62 we turned south on the unpaved Last Dollar Road.
Described as as "safe alternative to the hard-core Black Bear and Imogene four-wheel passes", this whole route was spectacular - up and down high cliffs and low meadows. Slow going but more than worth it.
Last Dollar Road #638
Last Dollar Road was a mining supply route in the 1800s. It winds its way 22 miles through the mountains above Telluride past ranches, fields, over the Dallas Divide, and by Mount Wilson and Mount Sneffels two of Colorado's 14ers. It climbs over Last Dollar Pass at an elevation of 10,676 feet. The road closes in the winter.
Last Dollar Road in Popular Culture
Wilson Peak is recognizable to anyone who's ever examined the label on a Coors bottle. The opening and closing scenes of the 1969 western "True Grit" staring John Wayne were filmed at the Lost Dollar Ranch. The ranch was also used as a location for national advertising campaigns for Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Beer and Marlboro Cigarettes.
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| Brunswick Saloon c1900 (Wikipedia) |
Telluride - Highway 145
Exiting the Lost Dollar Road we turned south on State Highway 145 through the beautiful box canyon Telluride sits in. Telluride is a former silver mining camp in the western Juan Mountains.
The first gold mining claim was made in 1875. The town itself was founded in 1878. The railway arrived in 1890.
Butch Cassidy - San Juan Miguel Valley Bank Robbery, Telluride
Robert LeRoy Parker left his home in Utah to find work in the mines in Telluride. He was hired to pack ore onto mules and bring it to the mills. On June 24, 1889, Butch Cassidy, along with Matt Warner and Tom McCarty, robbed the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride - and so began his life of crime. This was his first major recorded crime. He exited the bank with $24,580.00 (the equivalent of over a $600,000.00 in 2020). Butch Cassidy Telluride Bank Robbery - Wikipedia
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| Lizard Head Pas (Wikipedia) |
Lizard Head Pass
Leaving Telluride, we climbed to Lizard Head Pass summit, elevation 10,246 feet. The pass is named after the nearby 13,119 foot Lizard Head peak that resembles the head of a lizard.
It is the border between Dolores and San Miguel counties and also on the divide between the watersheds of the Dolores and San Miguel Rivers. The Lizard Head Wilderness area contains 41,309 acres and is jointly managed by the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests.
Rico, Colorado
The Rico area was originally inhabited by natives including the Utes. In the 1700's Spanish explorers were in the area. In 1833, trappers like W. Walton of the St. Louis Fur Co., came and reported remains of Spanish smelters. Mining began about 1860. In the mid 1870's the Utes ceded the area to the U.S. by treaty.
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| Headframe of the Atlantic Cable Mine |
Frenzied activity began and many profitable claims were staked, including ten in 1877. D. Swickheimer opened the Enterprise Mine, the most successful mine in the area's history. At its peak in 1892 Rico boasted 5000 residents, 23 saloons, 2 churches and 88 active mines. The railroad came in 1891 but the silver crash of 1893 ended Rico's first boom.
The Galloping Goose Museum - Dolores, CO
We stopped at the Galloping Goose Museum and Gift Shop. The Galloping Goose Historical Society was founded in 1987. The Society's first big project in 1991 was to build a replica of the original RGS Dolores depot. It is a Victorian structure and painted in the RGS color scheme of buff yellow with brown trim. It contains the Society's railroad museum and gift shop.
The Galloping Goose
The history of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad is long and complicated. The narrow-gauge Railroad went through a series of ups and downs from mining boom days in the 1890's to its final dismantling in 1952. The "Galloping Goose" however, lives on!
While the Railway was suffering the effects of the Great Depression, it still had the crippling responsibility of delivering the US Mail. Labeled the "Tin-Feathered Saviors" of the Southern, the Galloping Geese were invented.
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| Galloping Goose No. 3 c-1949 (Wikipedia) |
Hatched in 1931 the Geese were a group of seven homemade railcars called "Motors", cheap to build and operate and capable of transporting the mail and passengers.
With silver painted bodies, hood covers that looked like goose wings, and a horn resembling the honking of a goose, the Geese waddled down the rickety tracks. The name "Galloping Geese" soon took hold - and stuck!
In 1997 and 1998, the Galloping Goose Historical Society completely restored Galloping Goose No. 5 to operating condition. Goose No. 5 made its first run in almost 47 years on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in May 1998. Goose No. 1 did not survive. It was scrapped in 1933. Geese Nos 2, 6 & 7 are preserved at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. Goose No. 3 is at Knott's Berry Farm in California. Goose No. 4 is on display in Telluride and Goose No. 5 sits on the track outside the Galloping Goose Museum in Dolores.
Mesa Verde National Park - Mesa Top Ruins Road
We stopped at the viewpoints and overlooks along the road. Montezuma Valley Overlook has exhibits on the area geology and other park topics as well. Park Point is the highest point in the park at 8,572 feet. A short walk on the trail from the parking lot leads to the overlook and wayside exhibits. The Geologic Overlook is a short walk on the trail from the parking that leads to the overlook and wayside exhibits.
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| Point Lookout & Milky Way- NPS |
Mesa Verde - International Dark Sky Park
We arrived in time to get ourselves registered at the hotel and head to the dining room for dinner. We are staying at the Far View Lodge in the heart of the Park.
We have private balcony off our room with an amazing view for miles. We sat on the balcony listening to the quiet and did some amazing stargazing.
 Post Note - Day Fourteen:
I drove down US 550 a few years ago on my way to Texas. Karen and I drove Highway 145 between Telluride and Cortez in 2011 so for most of today, it's a repeat. One of my inclinations was to cut across to Telluride from US 550 via the Black Bear Road. I changed my mind once I watched this video. Nope! Not even virtually!! Falling Off Black Bear Pass
While searching for interesting things en-route, I stumbled on the Orvis Hot Springs just south of Ridgway. Since we are not in a big hurry today, I thought maybe we might like to stop for a soak in the natural hot springs - until I saw the "clothing optional" advertising. Karen said she didn't care but she was going wear her bathing on. I don't think so. Not the scenery I had in mind for today. I'm driving and I think I'll just pass on by.
What can I say about The Galloping Goose? Resembling an old converted hippy bus cut in half, with an extra large pointed snout and snow plow on the front, and a disjointed square train car on the back, it has to be one of the "ugliest ducklings" I have ever seen!
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